The Rush Hour trilogy did good numbers for New Line, but the last installment was 17 years ago! Since then rumors of a fourth installment have come and gone, and come again.
At one point, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery, who own New Line, licensed out Rush Hour 4 so other studios could take it on.
Original director Brett Ratner, who made all three previous entries, was pushing for the fourth but he was accused of sexual misconduct by several different women in 2017. He denied the allegations and has never been charged, but since then he has become something of a Hollywood recluse. Is that because studios won’t work with him and actresses avoid him? Or is it self-inflicted?
Either way, it hasn’t helped the fourth movie move forward at all.
While the rights still sit with producer Tarak Ben Ammar and Eagle Pictures, apparently the issue is that the pitch for the film included Ratner as director/producer. This is viewed as a deal-breaker for studios after the allegations. Both Sony and Paramount have looked at the project and passed due to this. Lionsgate was also in the mix.
Neither Jackie Chan nor Chris Tucker are officially attached to return as the film’s leads at this time, but both have spoken positively about returning in the past.
Will Rush Hour 4 ever get made, or has its moment passed forever?